ELKTON — Two complaints have been filed against WL Gore over its use and failure to address the removal of “forever chemicals in neighborhoods around the Elkton area.
One suit comes from residents living near one of the campuses, while the second was filed by the State of Maryland.
The State of Maryland has filed a complaint against W. L Gore, an international textile manufacturing company with five Cecil County campuses of more than a dozen sites claiming Gore “(put) residents’ health at risk with contamination from toxic Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”
The suit charges Gore with public nuisance, trespass, negligence, unauthorized discharge of a controlled hazardous substance, unauthorized discharge of pollutants and wastes, injunctive relief, and two counts of violation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, the complaint asks the court to order Gore to pay all the costs associated with removal of these chemicals from soil, groundwater and private wells as a direct result of the manufacturing processes used at its plants in Cherry Hill, Fair Hill and on Appleton Road. The complaint states that the company knew for five decades that it was releasing these known carcinogens in the manufacture of products such as Gore-Tex, Scotchgard and Teflon and did nothing about it, contaminating public and private properties, natural resources and water supplies. The state also wants other Gore sites not included in the current testing to be added.